The Rienner Anthology of African Literature

Acknowledgments xiii Introduction 1 Part 1 The Oral Tradition North Africa The King Climbs to the Sky on a Ladder 22 The King Joins the Sun God 23 The Dead King Hunts and Eats the Gods 25 The Instruction of Prince Hardjedef 29 The Shipwrecked Sailor 30 West Africa Why the Sun and the Moon Live in the Sky 36 The Origin of Death 37 Contest at the Baobab Tree 39 Three Fast Men 40 Sun God Brings Iron to Man 41 Anansi Borrows Money 42 j and Onfr -M (The Seven-tailed Colobus Monkey) 44 The Song of Gimmile 52 D.T. Niane, The Epic of Sundiata 54 Gasire's Lute 83 How Twins Came Among the Yoruba 89 Iron Is Received from Ogun 92 Central Africa The Running of Ture and One-leg 96 Ngomba's Basket 99 Nchonzo Nkila's Dance Drum 102 The Woman Who Killed Her Co-Wife 105 The Mwindo Epic 108 East Africa and the Horn Wanjiru, Sacrificed by Her People 124 The Legend of Kintu 126 Adventures of Abunuwas, Trickster Hero 130 The Brothers, Sun and Moon, and the Pretty Girl 133 How Makeda Visited Jerusalem, and How Menelik Became King 137 The Story of Liongo: A Tale of the Swahili People 145 A Battle of Eghal Shillet: A Somali Story 149 Love Song 152 Fortitude 153 Southern Africa Mantis Creates an Eland 156 Why the Hippo Has a Stumpy Tail 160 Nwashisisana, the Hare 162 Untombinde, the Tall Maiden 168 Zimwa-mbanje the Hemp Smoker 172 Dingiswayo, Son of Jobe of the Mthethwa Clan 175 Nandi, Daughter of Mbengi of the Langeni Clan 178 Mnkabayi, Daughter of Jama of the Zulu Clan 179 Senzangakhona 180 Part 2 Early African Autobiographies: The Slave Trade Olaudah Equiano, Equiano's Travels 185 Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, The African Travels of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq 200 Ali Eisami Gazirmabe, Narrative of the Travels of Ali Eisami 206 Samuel Ajayi Crowther, The Narrative of Samuel Ajayi Crowther 212 Petro Kilekwa, Slave Boy to Priest 221 Part 3 The Colonial Period, 1885-1956 West Africa Andrew Amankwa Opoku, River Afram 234 Camara Laye, The Dark Child (Chapters 2-3) 241 James Ene Henshaw, The Jewels of the Shrine: A Play in One Act 253 Amos Tutuola, The Palm-Wine Drinkard 270 Central Africa Patrice Emery Lumumba, Dawn in the Heart of Africa 280 Southern Africa Thomas Mofolo, Chaka (Chapters 3-4) 284 St. J. Page Yako, The Contraction and Enclosure of the Land 293 Sob. W. Nkuhlu, The Land of the People Once Living 294 Peter Abrahams, Mine Boy (Chapter 4) 298 Es'kia Mphahlele, Exile in Nigeria 311 Part 4 The Postcolonial Period, 1957 to the Present North Africa Tayeb Salih, The Doum Tree of Wad Hamid 320 Yusuf Sibai, The Country Boy 330 Assia Djebar, My Father Writes to My Mother 334 Driss Chraibi, Mother Comes of Age (Chapters 2-3) 337 Mustapha Tlili, Lion Mountain (Chapters 3-4) 350 Nawal el Saadawi, The Fall of the Imam 356 Dani Amrane, You Called to Me, Prison Windows 374 Rachida Madani, Here I Am Once More... 375 Andr Chedid, Who Remains Standing? 377 , Stepping Aside 378 Amina Said, And We Were Born 379 , The Africa of the Statue 380 Tawfiq Al-Hakim, Food for the Millions (Acts 1-3) 381 West Africa Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart (Chapters 3-4) 460 Flora Nwapa, Efuru (Chapters 9-10) 470 Ferdinand Oyono, Houseboy 488 Mariama B So Long a Letter (Chapters 1-8) 498 Buchi Emecheta, Kehinde (Chapters 13-14) 510 Sembene Ousmane, Tribal Scars or The Voltaique 518 Zaynab Alkali, Saltless Ash 529 T. Obinkaram Echewa, I Saw the Sky Catch Fire (Chapter 11) 536 Benjamin Kwakye, The Clothes of Nakedness (Chapters 8-9) 556 Makuchi, Market Scene 564 Anthonia Kalu, Independence 573 Kofi Awoonor, Songs of Sorrow 585 Kojo Gyinaye Kyei, African in Louisiana 587 Bernard Dadie, I Thank You God 588 Kofi Anyidoho, Our Birth-Cord 590 , Rush-Hour in Soul-City 592 Maria Manuela Margarido, You Who Occupy Our Land 594 Ifi Amadiume, Nok Lady in Terracotta 595 Ezenwa Ohaeto, It Is Easy to Forget 598 Abena P.A. Busia, Achimota: From the Story My Mother Taught Me 600 L.S. Senghor, Letter to a Poet (To Aime Cesaire) 602 , Murders 604 Birago Diop, Breath 605 Lenrie Peters, Soweto, I Know Your Anguish 608 , I Am Talking to You My Sister 610 Wole Soyinka, Abiku 612 , Telephone Conversation 614 Christopher Okigbo, Heavensgate (I, V) 616 Niyi Osundare, Goree 620 , Our Earth Will Not Die 626 Tanure Ojaide, Launching Our Community Development Fund 628 , When Tomorrow Is Too Long 629 Naana Banyiwa Horne, Nana Bosompo 630 , Nananom (A Tribute to Those Gone On) 632 , Heritage 635 Otymeyin Agbajoh-Laoye, Motherhood Cut Short 636 , Yanga Woman 638 Wole Soyinka, The Trials of Brother Jero (Act 1, Scenes 1-3) 639 Ama Ata Aidoo, Anowa (excerpt from Phase 1) 658 Central Africa Henri Lopes, The Honourable Gentleman 674 E.B. Dongala, The Man 680 Henri Lopes, The Advance 685 Tchicaya U Tam'si, Agony 691 East Africa and the Horn Ngugi wa Thiong'o, Mugumo 696 Awuor Ayoda, Workday 701 Violet Dias Lannoy, The Story of Jesus According to Mokuba, the Beloved Tribesman 708 Meja Mwangi, Striving for the Wind (Chapter 2) 723 Peter Anyang'-Nyong'O, Daughter of the Low Land 731 Walter Odame, By the Long Road 733 , Dear Child 735 Tsegaye Gabre-Medhin, Home-Coming Son 737 Okot p'Bitek, Song of Lawino 739 Ngugi wa Thiong' o and Ngugi wa Mirii, I Will Marry When I Want (Act 1) 752 Southern Africa Bessie Head, The Deep River: A Story of Ancient Tribal Migration 802 Mbulelo Vizikhungo Mzamane, The Children of Soweto 807 Nadine Gordimer, A City of the Dead, A City of the Living 822 Bernard Luis Honwana, We Killed Mangy-Dog 834 Dambudzo Marechera, Black Skin What Mask 858 Milly Jafta, The Home-Coming 863 Gugu Ndlovu, The Barrel of a Pen 865 Gcina Mhlope, The Toilet 872 Tsitsi Dangarembga, Nervous Conditions (Chapter 4) 878 Sindiwe Magona, A State of Outrage 893 Dennis Brutus, Robben Island Sequence 902 Gcina Mhlope, Sometimes When It Rains 905 No a de Sousa, Poem of a Distant Childhood 907 , Let My People Go 910 Jean-Joseph Rab ivelo, Cactus 912 , Zebu 913 Agostinho Neto, Kinaxixi 915 , Hoisting the Flag 916 Chenjerai Hove, Nursery Rhyme After a War 918 , To the Wielders of Flags 919 Mazisi Kunene, A Note to All Surviving Africans 921 Njabulo S. Ndebele, The Revolution of the Aged 922 Oswald Mbuyiseni Mtshali, An Abandoned Bundle 924 , The Face of Hunger 925 Lewis Nkosi, The Rhythm of Violence (Act 1, Scenes 1-3) 926 Biographical Notes 945 Suggested Readings 962 Index by Author and Title 966